Benjamin T Wilder

Contact Email

Dr. Benjamin T. Wilder

My research is broadly focused in desert ecology and botany. I utilize multiple approaches and time scales to establish baselines to better understand modern biodiversity and connect science to conservation.

I received my PhD in 2014 from the University of California, Riverside under the guidance of Dr. Exequiel Ezcurra for my dissertation research, "Historical Biogeography of the Midriff Islands, Gulf of California." From 2014–2015 I was a Visiting Scholar in the lab of Dr. Rodolfo Dirzo at Stanford University focusing on ecological education for indigenous communities.

I increasingly value the incorporation of diverse perspectives and the powerful results made possible via collaboration. In my role as director of the Next Generation Sonoran Desert Researchers (N-Gen) I strive to create opportunities for collaboration across borders and disciplines and a more holistic understanding and appreciation for the Sonoran Desert.

Current research projects include:

- Hidden Water: The Pozos of the Gran Desierto. A collaborative hydrology, vegetation, and artistic project. See this article for more information: Stopping for pozos

- Understanding the origin of the Sonoran Desert and the arid lands of the New World through historical biogeography. I specifically employ phylogeography, paleoecology (fossil packrat midden analysis), floristics, ancient DNA, and additional techniques.

Publications

Book

Felger, R.S., B.T. Wilder in collaboration with H. Romero-Morales. 2012. Plant Life of a Desert Archipelago: Flora of the Sonoran Islands in the Gulf of California. University of Arizona Press, Tucson. 624 pages.

16. O’Meara, C., B.T. Wilder (eds). 2015. Seeds in the Sand: The next generation of approaches to understanding the Sonoran Desert and Gulf of California. Journal of the Southwest. Link

15. Wilder, B.T., C. O’Meara. 2015. The Continuum of Desert Research. In O’Meara, C., B.T. Wilder (eds.) Seeds in the Sand: The next generation of approaches to understanding the Sonoran Desert and Gulf of California. Journal of the Southwest 57:163–186. pdf